Page 102 of Rookie Move
“Your father would like a word with you.”
Her heart sank. Wordlessly, she followed him down another of the million hallways this place seemed to have. She was going to have to say something to him now about seeing Leo. If there was any way to shift some of the blame off him, she’d do it in a heartbeat.
And please let O’Doul be okay, she begged inwardly. She’d just begun to like the guy, too.
Georgia ducked into the little office her father and Hugh were sharing. She’d had enough of depressing, underground spaces today. What she needed was to see the sun.
“Close the door, honey,” her father said.
She obeyed, and took a set across from him.
“What the hell just happened?” he asked. “Help me understand. Leo attacked O’Doul? Was anyone else there? I didn’t see it. But...” He cleared his throat. “Iheard.”
Georgia felt a tremor just remembering the awful sound Leo had made. She never wanted to hear it again. “There was a misunderstanding,” she said, her throat so dry it felt like it might crack in half. “Doulie studies tae kwon do, too. We were talking about one-step sparring for his belt test. So I let him drop me onto the mats. And Leo was quite a ways down the hall. I mean... what he saw was O’Doul grabbing me and throwing me to the ground.”
Her father flinched. “Jesus Christ. And he thought O’Doul just grabbed you? Is that really logical?”
Georgia hesitated. She’d seen the look on his face, and it would haunt her. “I’m not surelogicwas possible just then. His reaction was more, uh, visceral.”
Her dad clasped his hands together on the desk and frowned. “He panicked.”
“Daddy, hefreaked. It was terrifying—for him as well as O’Doul.”
“And how about for you?” her father asked quietly.
Georgia suppressed a shiver. “I’ll be fine. But I think...” She sighed. “You and I never talk about my awful year, right?”
Her father winced, then nodded his acknowledgment.
“Well, at the time, Leo was my rock, you know? He stuck close, and he was one of the people who got me through it. But I think it affected him, too.” It filled her with shame to realize she’d never understood it, either. “I think he’s still hurting.”
Her father grunted, then rolled his toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other. That was all the acknowledgement she was going to get on the subject, and it made her temper flare.
“Daddy, I haveno cluewhat you’ve got against Leo, and I really haven’t wanted to get into it with you. But I swear to God—if you’re going to trade him to Vancouver, you should man up and clear the air with him first. He’s not some stranger you can just toss away.”
Her father’s eyes narrowed. “Trades are none of your business, little lady.”
“Right,” Georgia snapped. “So send me to my room and ground me for what I’m about to say. You can pretend that you’ve given him the same chance as everyone else on the team, but we both know that’s bullshit.” She stood up suddenly, startling both of them.
“Honey,” her father said, “hold on a fucking second. I’m sure Leo is a good man. But he’d be better on someone else’s team. Somewhere he doesn’t have history.”
Her stomach dove off a cliff. Without a parachute. “That isnotfair. His only history is being good to both of us.”
“I think your memory is selective,” her father said quietly.
“How so? Just spit it out, would you? What is yourissuewith him?”
Her dad shook his head. “I don’t trust him, and that is a perfectly valid reason to send him packing. I need to trusteveryguy wearing the team sweater. And since he’s landed here, he’s tangled with me and he’s tangled with O’Doul. That’s not good for morale.”
Georgia gasped. “That’scrap, Coach. You greeted Leo with a snarl on his first day, and you want to blame the tension on him? That’s really mature. Maybe I’d be better off working for a different team, too.”
“Honey...”
“Don’t,” she warned. “I love this job. I’ve been very happy here. But if you trade Leo to Vancouver, don’t be too startled if I go with him.” She took a step and grabbed the door handle.
“What?” Her father’s voice was full of shock. “Georgia! Get back here. Don’t storm out of here like a teenager.”
She gave him a glare over her shoulder. “You’re in no position to tell me that my behavior is immature.”
